§ 15. Mr. StanbrookTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on how many occasions he has given oral evidence to Select Committees.
§ Mr. BrookeI have not given evidence myself in my present capacity, but Northern Ireland Office Ministers including my predecessor as Secretary of State have given such evidence on four occasions in the past three years, most recently on 16 October when my hon. Friend the Member for Wiltshire, North (Mr. Needham) appeared before the Select Committee on Energy.
I am particularly pleased that seven Select Committees have visited Northern Ireland in the past 18 months to look at matters for which I have responsibility. I was able to meet two of those committees during their visit.